The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-06-25
SAVE 4 YOUR STEPS.
Few Suggestions for the Benefit OF Hard.
Working Housekeepers.

Working Houseleepers.
Few people who are not working
housekeepers have anyidea of the nun.
Der OF steps taken by the latter during
the day. Now and then we read in
some OF the papers about the capacity
Tor walking of the English women and
the incapacity of the American women
In this respect, usually ending with the
advice to the latter to exercise more if
they wish for the robust health of their
English sisters. Paragraphs of this
kird have reference to a very small
clg@,s of American women, and it must
bethat the writers of such are confined
IN their knowledge to this one class,
and have no idea of the average Amer
lean woman. Their acquaintance with
this subject was based on their familiar
ity with the women who have but to
oversee their household affairs, having
those under them ready to carry out
their PLAN The advice in these para
graphs might apply to women of this
kind, but it will not apply generally
to American women. The majority
OF American women are housekeep-.
ers, and working housekeepers at that,
having no hired help of any kind to
aid them. Many of them, more par
ticularly those with large families are
on their feet from the first streak of
daylight until late into the night, from
one end of the year to the other. 1t is
surprising how they live through it.
Now. isn't it ridiculously absurd
to say that these people
require more exercise to give
them good healthP 1 wonder what
the authors of the advice referred to
would say if, when with weary brain
they laid down their pen, after a long
siege ofwriting, with the idea that they
would rest, some one suggested that
they would write two or three columns
more just for exercise. They would be
very apt to intimate to the adviser thai
he did not understand their case.
Neither do these writer's understand
the average American woman. If run.
ming up and down stairs, in and out OF
rooms. for the length of day and part
of the night is not exercise, what is it?
No, indeed, the average American
woman does not languish for the lack
of exercise, but for the want of rest.
After a long day of homework she does
not care, nor has she strength to walk
a long distance like her English
sisters. Though she does not do much
walking outside she makes up for it all
by the amount of walking she accom-.
plishes in the house during the day. She
has too much exercise and ought to
have great deal more rest. She takes
in doing her housework good many
unnecessary steps that scould easily be
dispensed with, and it would be to her
advantage to save as many of these as
she can. The only way to do this is to
have the articles most in use conven-
iently near. Don't have the pots and
kettles and other cooking utensils, gen
orally used daily, in close closet in
another room or at the farther corner
of the kitchen, away from the stove,
where, when they are wanted for use,
you have just SO many steps to take be-
fore you get them, and just so many
or more to take when you are putting
them back Have small closet neal
the stove or sink, where all these arti
Giles can be kept. You have cool spo
in your pantry where there is 7 broad
shelf that YOU use for pastry, and i
there are not some small shelves above
it there ought to be, On these shelves
should be the spice box, cooking
spoons, egg heaters, pie plates, and, il
fact, every thing that is needed for thi
kind of cooking. If there is a corner
near the stove, q shelf on hinges like
the leaf of kitchen table, to be lfteC
up when wanted for use and let dowl
when not in use, will be found to b(
very convenient at any time, but es
pecially so when the housekccper is il
a hurry with hercooking.
These few suggestions may appear o
very little Importance, but if they ar
carried out they will be found to dis
pense with good many unnecessar,
steps. Women who do their own house
work should try and save as many step
as possible, and to do this they will
have TO make their heads do more worl
and their feet less, or in the words o
an old saying: Teach the head to saw
the heels. "-BoStoa BudQCt.